Khya arrived at the Ryogan coast too late to stop the invasion. Now, cities are falling before the unrelenting march of an enemy army, and Khya’s squad is desperately trying to stay ahead of them. Warning the Ryogans, though, means leaving her brother imprisoned even longer. Time is running out for everyone.

how can her squad of ten stand against an army of ten thousand?

Calling in help from every ally she’s made in Ryogo, Khya tries to build a plan that won’t require sacrificing her friends or her brother. It’s a tough balance to find, especially when the leadership role she thought she wanted sits heavy on her shoulders, and her relationship with Tessen is beginning to crack under the strain.

The immortal mages have risen, and they’re out for blood.

Khya arrived at the Ryogan coast too late to stop the invasion. Now, cities are falling before the unrelenting march of an enemy army, and Khya’s squad is desperately trying to stay ahead of them. Warning the Ryogans, though, means leaving her brother imprisoned even longer. Time is running out for everyone.

The end is coming, and there’s no way to know who’ll be left standing when it hits.

If I Knew Then What I Know Now About Writing

Creative writing isn’t a focus in school. Other than a few assignments scattered over the years, everything I learned about writing from kindergarten through senior year related to non-fiction—essays, book reports, and the like. Only in college, after I’d chosen to double major in creative writing as well as psychology, did I learn anything about the craft of telling stories. As long as I wanted to tell stories in the form of short stories. That was pretty much all my college classes covered.

My education in novels came first from reading and second from fanfiction. Even then, it I only picked up the broad strokes. Everything else I learned myself.

If I knew then what I know now, it would’ve changed everything. I wouldn’t have written the first book I attempted, because I would’ve had a better understanding of the inherent flaws in the concept. I might’ve been able to finish the second story idea I came up with. The experience I’ve gained over the years, both on the creative and business side of writing, has changed so much of the way I approach an idea. Knowing then what I do now would’ve altered the course of my publishing life.

The books I created might’ve been better versions of the same ideas or maybe they would’ve been different ideas altogether; from where I stand in time, it’s impossible to tell. Everything looks different in hindsight. Mistakes can seem harsher, good fortunes can seem like lucky twists of fate, and the distance of time can blur and change details. If we spend too much time looking backward, we can begin to question decisions and create regrets, and I don’t want to do that to myself. Besides, I’m not sure there’s much I’d change. One of the best feelings is being able to look back on where we used to be and marvel at how far we’ve come.

Erica Cameron is the author of books for young adults including the Ryogan Chronicles, the Assassins duology, and The Dream War Saga. She also co-authored the Laguna Tides novels with Lani Woodland. An advocate for asexuality and emotional abuse awareness, Erica has also worked with teens at a residential rehabilitation facility in her hometown of Fort Lauderdale.